


The Darkness That Binds

by MurderouslyAdorkable



Series: Swan Queen Week Winter 2017: Alternate Universes Cubed [7]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dark, Dark Emma Swan, Dark Evil Queen | Regina Mills, Dark One Henry Mills (Once Upon a Time), Established Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan, F/F, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-21 23:10:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9570977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MurderouslyAdorkable/pseuds/MurderouslyAdorkable
Summary: When faced with a choice between saving the town of Storybrooke from the new Dark One, Henry Mills, the Dark Believer, or their son from the town, Emma and Regina make the only choice they can to keep their family together, and choose to accept his darkness by embracing their own.





	

**Author's Note:**

> **Warnings:** Dark Savior, Evil Queen,  & Dark Believer  
>  **Notes:** This is dedicated to all of the Hufflepuffs I know out there. You guys get dumped on a lot, but there's a reason why Slytherin and Hufflepuff get along like gangbusters, if y'all ever went dark… dude. So this fict is for you, my mighty little honey badgers.  
>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own any of these characters, or whatever the hell else. They belong to Disney, ABC etc, etc, I claim no rights to copyrighted material, and this story is purely for entertainment purposes.

"I told you what I would do, Snow, if you tried to hurt my son."

She didn't sound like Emma anymore. Not just her words, but the way she said them; the very sound of her voice. It wasn't Emma. She was cold and unyielding. The Dark Savior. It was the one thing that her parents tried to prevent. And there she was, proudly parading the physical manifestation of the sum of their failures right in front of them, as if Snow and Charming meant nothing to her anymore.

She was dressed in black from head to toe; black jeans, a black leather riding jacket, and knee high boots. Her hair was down, curls blowing behind her when they caught the wind. Her sea green eyes had become hollow, devoid of anything but a cool indifference. Where the Savior had cared for everyone, hero and villain alike, the Dark Savior cared for only two people: Regina and their son. Everyone else, everything else was immaterial. But that was the way of Saviors, wasn't it? Either they gave until they had nothing left but their lives to give. Or the switch flips, and that indomitable will and that devotion to the cause turns inward, and darkness takes hold.

"Henry is the Dark One, Emma," Mary Margaret told as if she wasn't aware of that fact. "He has to be stopped."

Sea green eyes burned with a silent rage. "I asked you — I begged you to let me and Regina handle this. But you couldn't trust me."

Tears streamed down Snow's face. "Henry murdered his own grandfather. And we were losing you and Regina to the Darkness."

"So you tried to take away my choice in the matter," Emma replied. "Again. When will you ever learn, Snow?"

"We were trying to protect you," Charming insisted.

"Is that what you tell yourself at night, David?" She fired back, pacing in front of them like a caged wolf at the zoo. "That you were doing it for my benefit? Or did you want to make sure I'd come back to save everyone?"

"It wasn't like that," her father said. "We were trying to give you your best chance."

"You didn't give me a choice!" she raged.

"Because we didn't have one, Emma!" her mother told her.

"Everyone has a choice," purred a voice in the darkness, punctuated by the sound of heeled boots hitting asphalt. "You taught me that, Snow."

The Evil Queen stepped out of the shadows and for the heroes old enough to remember, it was like taking a step back in time. She didn't so much walk as glide, cutting through the air like a hot knife cut through butter. Her eyes were nearly black in the dim light from the street lamps but they burned brightly with a rage that Snow and her Charming Prince were all too familiar with. She stood near the Dark Savior, and placed an oddly gentle hand on her shoulder, stopping Emma in her tracks.

Regina stood by her but her gaze bore into the crowd of heroes that had come to stop them. She studied each of them, silently daring anyone to come against her and her family. They thought having a son made her docile, but it had only made her more dangerous. Because it was the moment she first accepted Henry into her heart that Regina knew she was capable of doing anything to protect her son.

She was dressed in all black like her counterpart, though her clothes were sleeker; where Emma was pragmatic with her attire, Regina's outfit chose form over function. Though to be honest as the Evil Queen she could be, and had been, more ostentatious in the past.

Her hand lingered on Emma's shoulder, Regina's touch drifting down to the small of the Dark Savior's back where it settled.

"I warned you what would happen," Regina told the heroes. "I warned you what we would do if you tried to destroy our son."

"The lad is the bloody Dark One," Hook spat. "And the little bastard stole my fucking kill."

Emma glanced at Killian and cocked her head at him with a scrutinizing look in her eyes. "Is that really the only thing you care about here, Killian?"

The pirate thought about it for a moment and then shrugged. "Well, yeah."

The Dark Savior rolled your eyes. "Then you should probably get going. Things are going to get a little… messy around here."

He met Emma's gaze and held it for a second before he nodded. "Aye, aye, Swan. Happy hunting."

As he started off toward the docks, Robin called after him. "Are you really just going to turn your back on this?"

"Not my circus, not my monkeys, mate," he threw over his shoulder. "But it was really lovely while it lasted."

That was one problem solved. Only like ten or so problems to go before the means to destroy this little failed experiment of a town came to them as easily as breathing did.

"Regina, don't do this," Robin pleaded. "This isn't you."

"And you would know?" she asked. "I would have killed your wife, Robin. If Zelena hadn't, I would have. I had planned to. But the Savior foiled my plans before my sister did all of the work for me."

"This is just the Dark One's hold on you speaking, Regina," he replied.

The Evil Queen sneered. "You truly are just a pretty face, aren't you Robin? This is the most I've felt like myself since I casted the curse. You only knew me as a trained house pet, declawed and unassuming." She conjured a fireball in her hand. "But I've got my fire back."

The Outlaw leveled his crossbow and took aim. "Then you really are lost."

He let loose an arrow before anyone could say anything more. However it burned with a ink black fire and turned to ash, never finding it's mark. Where ashes hit the road, a dark puddle of ink pooled. It grew, and grew, rising in height before it filled out and formed the shell of a person. The inky darkness gave way to Henry dressed in the hooded robes of the Dark One. His hands were clasped front of him and he had yet to look at any of those that stood before him.

There was a moment of silence before Henry was set upon by a few of the Merry Men. And with lightning quick speed, Henry removed his hood, revealing the pale, sparkling vision of a fully realized Dark One. He smirked devilishly before he ducked under Will's dagger and was able to dodge Little John's sword before he managed to circle behind them and take both of their hearts out of their chests. His eyes glinted with controlled mischief and he looked to his parents for permission.

"Don't do this, Henry," his only living grandfather ordered.

"You're better than this," his grandmother told him.

However, it was his mothers he'd listen to. So when Emma nodded and Regina smiled and told him to follow his heart, Henry crushed Will and John's in his hands. They crumpled to the ground dead before they even knew what happened.

"Sorry Grandpa, Grandma, but my moms said I could."

"Stop this, Emma!" Snow called to her daughter.

Emma frowned. "Why would I do that? Besides, my son is the Dark One, the only reason he listens to me or Regina is because he chooses to. Not because we make him."

David frowned in confusion. "But you have the dagger."

Regina chuckled. "Oh, no dear. One of the first things we did was give Henry back his dagger."

The Dark Believer smirked, and revealed the dagger of the Dark One. "Not to split hairs here, but it was only fair. It has my name on it."

"Why?" a voice sounded from the crowd.

"Because that's what happens when you become the Dark One."

"No," Belle said, pushing her way to the front. "Why did you kill Rumple? He was your grandfather. He wasn't the Dark One anymore. You didn't need to kill him."

Henry laughed. "Oh, Belle. That's why I love you. You're so hopelessly naive, it's amazing.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, but the only thing Rumble truly loved, was power."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Belle said.

The Dark Believer shook his head. "You think he would have turned over a new leaf? Become a better man? No. Because he wasn't written that way, Belle. He was written as a coward. A sad little king, on a sad little hill that missed out of a few hugs from mommy and daddy. He was drawn to power the way an addict is drawn to their drug of choice. Frankly, if you want my honest opinion, I did you a favor. He would have manipulated you again. Because that's what he did. Because that's who he was. An abusive, manipulative, emotional terrorist. How long did you really think he could have gone without betraying you, again Belle? He killed his first family. The only reason I am still standing here is because of my mothers."

"I've heard enough of this," Leroy said before he charged Henry with his pickaxe in the air. But he was blasted with beam of light.

"No one touches my son," Emma said, coolly. "And the next one that tries to I will kill them. Period."

"Fine enough, sister," Leroy said as he stood. "I had to try…" He raised his axe once more. "Again."

He charged but this time he was lifted off of the ground by an unseen force. The others tried to help him but they were kept back by an invisible shield. Leroy struggled and yelled and cursed; he spouted every obscenity and curse word he could think of. And then in the middle of his tirade his head snapped unnaturally to one side with a hollow but wet _CRACK_! Then he was gone and whatever magic that held him up dropped him to the ground with the same apathy one has when they carelessly litter.

Emma looked back at Regina with a raised eyebrow. "Seriously? That was supposed to be my kill."

The Evil Queen feigned ignorance. "Was it, dear? Oh, I'm so sorry. But you did kill Cruella when she wanted to hurt Henry so it's only fair I get this one. Besides, it's been longer for me. And I really needed that."

"Cruella wasn't a threat. And I had that whole speech beforehand," Emma reasoned.

Regina grinned and kissed her on her cheek. "You can murder the next assassin."

"Promise?" the Dark Savior asked.

The Evil Queen drew an X over her heart and smiled. "And hope to die, dear."

Emma's lips curled in a smirk as she pulled Regina against her. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

Regina shook her head. "Not for hours, no."

"Emma?" Snow asked from behind the barrier. She couldn't keep the complete and utter shock from her voice which matched David's perplexed expression.

The former Sheriff laughed. "Right. Mom, Dad… Me and Regina are, I don't know… What are we doing, my Queen?"

Regina glanced at Snow and Charming as she answered. "We're defiling each other on almost a nightly basis. Save for that one time you couldn't for some reason."

"I was stabbed in the gut," Emma reminded her. "And I made it up to you."

The Evil Queen rolled her eyes. "Only after I healed you."

"Moms," Henry called to them. "Can we please focus? You two can work out your micro aggression against Snow on your own time… Preferably when I'm not around."

"No promises, kid."

Regina shook her head and swatted at Emma's arm. "Idiot. And speaking of…" She turned her gaze on the heroes. "Consider this you last warning. If you even entertain the thought of trying to harm my son, Emma or myself, remember what happened here, and rethink your life choices. Especially if you'd like to live awhile longer." She looked at Emma. "Am I forgetting anything dear?"

The Dark Savior met her mother's gaze. "I always hated your casserole."

And then they teleported away. Regina disappeared in a plume of purple smoke. Henry turned into living ink before he faded away into nothing. And then in a flash of what could only be described as glowing darkness Emma was gone too.

When they were all safely hidden in Regina's vault, the Evil Queen turned to her Dark Savior.

"'I always hated your casserole,' dear?" she asked.

Emma shrugged. "It seemed like the right thing to say at the time."

Regina shook her head. "We have to work on your villain speak."

"Later."

The Evil Queen arched an eyebrow at that. "Why later?"

"Because right now, I need to rip off all of your clothes."

"Well that if that isn't a good enough reason, I don't know what is."

"Nympho."

"Idiot."

Henry cleared his throat. "Moms… I'm standing right here."

**Author's Note:**

>  **Notes if I continue this:** If I continue this fic there will be a rating change most def. Not just because of the Dark Savior/Evil Queen Smut that will be fucking glorious (though not to worry it will be in there) but because it's going to get Grim Dark. This isn't a story about fallen heroes being pulled back into the light. This is a story of villains that are tired of everyone's BS.
> 
> Thank you for reading. And you can give me a follow on tumblr where I am MurderouslyAdorkable.


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